| Spyware encounters at
work on the rise, says Trend Micro
17 October, 2005
By Chris Talbot
According to a new study from Trend Micro, awareness of spyware
is high, but the lack of knowledge and bolder end-user behavior
has heightened the urgency around greater Internet security
and education.
The study found that more than 87 per cent of corporate end-users
are aware of spyware, but 53 per cent of survey respondents
demand greater education from IT to better understand the
threat. The findings indicate that awareness does not translate
to knowledge, so users are looking to their IT departments
to play a more protective role.
The study, which involved 1,200 end-users from organisations
ranging from large multi-national corporations to small single-office
businesses, was conducted in the U.S., Germany and Japan.
It revealed several findings pertaining to end-user perceptions
and behavior in the workplace, and many involved the growing
problem of spyware. Encounters with spyware are growing, especially
in small- and medium-sized businesses, the study concluded.
According to the study, spyware's prominence appears to be
greatest in the U.S., where 40 per cent of end-users surveyed
have encountered spyware at work, as compared to 14 per cent
in Japan and 23 per cent in Germany. In all three countries,
end-users from SMB organizations reported a greater number
of encounters than larger enterprises.
Additionally, the survey found that U.S. end-users are five
times more likely to fall victim than their German and Japanese
counterparts. For businesses with IT organizations, nearly
40 per cent of respondents in the U.S. felt their IT departments
could do more to help protect them against spyware.
Of the respondents who encounter spyware at work, only 45
per cent believed they had actually fallen victim. According
to Trend Micro, this reveals a striking distinction between
end-user awareness of the spyware threat and whether corporate
end-users are knowledgeable enough to identify spyware infiltration,
which quite often occurs without them knowing it.
Many respondents expect IT departments to provide further
education in addition to protection. In Japan, 64 per cent
felt that their IT departments could do more to educate them
about spyware. Similar figures resulted in the U.S. (52 per
cent) and Germany (45 per cent).
The report found that one of the most troubling findings
was the admission from many respondents that they are more
likely to engage in risky online behavior if they have an
IT department for support.
"The challenge of maintaining security for businesses
is compounded by the tendency of end users to engage in riskier
computer activities while at work," said Ed English,
vice president and chief technologist of anti-spyware at Trend
Micro. "Spyware is a security issue that has now come
of age, and while end users may question the effectiveness
of anti-spyware solutions deployed by their IT departments,
they also admit to relying heavily on IT for protection --
and many appear willing to ignore their personal responsibility
of staying aware and protected through sensible online behavior."
According to the study, 26 per cent of American SMB workers
and 21 per cent of American enterprise workers stated that
they had fallen victim to spyware while at work. However,
only seven per cent of SMB workers surveyed in Japan and Germany
were aware of falling victim to spyware.
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